Sinclair inducts two into Hall of Fame

2018 Hall of Fame Inductees
Norma Dycus & DeSean Hadley

Oct 26, 2018

Immediate Release –Sports

Sinclair inducts two into Hall of Fame

October 26, 2018

Dayton, Ohio-The Sinclair athletics family hosted its 2nd annual Athletics Hall of Fame induction Friday night in Building 8 Arena. In an emotional ceremony for the second year in a row, the night featured Tom Archdeacon as the Master of Ceremonies as Sinclair inducted Norma Dycus and DeSean Hadley.

The evening started with opening remarks from Sinclair’s Provost Dr. Dave Collins. Dr. Collins recalled his connections with both inductees and shared accounts of their time at Sinclair.

He then introduced the Master of Ceremonies, Tom Archdeacon, Columnist, Dayton Daily News. In usual Tom Archdeacon fashion, he led the audience on a journey through the career paths of DeSean and Coach Dycus. As an award winning sportswriter and Hall of Famer himself, Tom had written articles on both Dycus and Hadley throughout the years and shared his insights.

The first inductee of the night was DeSean Hadley of the 1996-98 men’s basketball team. The Dayton native, played his high school ball at Dayton Patterson Co-op HS before enrolling at Sinclair. After a solid freshman season and a coaching change from Don Cundiff to Paul Bryant, the two put together a summer game plan to move his game to the next level.

Hadley pushed Sinclair to the 1998 National Championship game that very next season before falling just short of the ultimate achievement. His impressive sophomore year may not have earned him a National Championship ring, but he was named the NJCAA Division II Basketball National Player of the Year. All this from a young boy that got cut his freshman and sophomore years from his high school team and receiving no scholarship offers.

That quickly changed, Eastern Michigan signed Hadley where he finished his collegiate career. That step helped prepare the young man long removed from his early setbacks for an 11 year professional career both in the states and overseas. At every step and through all the adversity and all the successes, he remained the same. He didn’t have to be the star of the game, he was just the most important player of the game.

Our second inductee of the night was a long time resident of Sinclair and Building 8 Arena. Norma Dycus called Sinclair home for over 30 years.

A native of Illinois, she chose Sinclair after graduating from MacMurry College. After considering several high profile universities, Norma decided to make Dayton her home and to put Sinclair on the map. Sinclair was offering her classroom responsibilities as well as coaching opportunities with some administrative duties.

She immediately set her sights on changing the culture and environment with raising the standards and expectations. As with her playing days, she was a true competitor that didn’t change because she now wearing a whistle or using a chalkboard.

A tireless coach as well as a compassionate teacher, her career advanced into athletic administration in true Norma passion (All in 100%), first within the college followed by additional roles in the conference. After getting her feet wet early on she stood ready for the next challenge, she moved on to chairing several committees at the region level before successfully jumping to the NJCAA national level. At every level and through every step, she impacted so many young individuals.

Both inductees gave heartfelt acceptance speeches before turning it back over to Tom Archdeacon for the closing remarks.

Post-Ceremony activities were hosted in the lobby outside the gym by Dr. Matt Massie, Manager of the Office of Student & Community Engagement. The reception offered light hors d’oeuvres and plenty of stories as former players had a chance to catch up.

In an atmosphere that felt like a homecoming, former players were mingling with current student-athletes. A night that remembered two great Sinclair individuals and brought former players back to campus was a great start to what is sure to be a strong and proud tradition.

Nomination are now being accepted for the 2019 induction class. Please go to: SinclairAthletics.Com. Eligible nominees must be at least 5 years removed from Sinclair.